Uber launches Decongest India campaign to fight traffic congestion

Uber has launched a nationwide campaign called 'Decongest India' to identify and curb causes of congestion, starting with New Delhi.ETtech | Updated: July 21, 2017, 20:23 IST

Uber has launched a nationwide campaign called 'Decongest India' to identify and curb causes of congestion, starting with New Delhi.

As part of this campaign, Uber will be focusing on driving data-backed conversations on solving for congestion across Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore in coming days.

The campaign’s inaugural New Delhi leg was announced in the presence of Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari.

Emphasizing the need to address the congestion bred mobility crisis and service the city's growing economic, social and environmental needs, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Head of Public Policy for Uber India & South Asia, said "With the launch of Decongest India, we are hoping to draw the attention of policymakers on how cars can be part of the solution - rather than the problem."

"The first leg of the campaign is focused on Delhi - clearly one of the most polluted and congested cities. We are delighted that Delhiites have embraced shared mobility in a big way - but the citizens of Delhi can do their bit to make their city more liveable, by carpooling and taking public transport” Kohli said.

“We will continue to engage with the government to bring home the promise of shared mobility for a profound impact in reconfiguring the stressed and overburdened urban mobility landscape of New Delhi," she added.

Uber said it aims to draw attention of relevant stakeholders across government, media and civil society to four key issues through targeted conversations and data sharing. These issues include:

Prabhjeet Singh, General Manager, Uber India (Delhi and North India) said "More than 30% of our total trips in Delhi are POOL trips. Over time, UberPOOL riders in Delhi have contributed to save over 19 million kilometres driven, which equals to saving of 936 kilo-litres of fuel and cut over 22 lakh kgs of CO2 emissions.

"As more people in more cities use UberPOOL, it will help contribute to the future that Uber has already begun to create - more people in fewer cars, fewer people owning cars and fewer cars on the road." said Singh.

The company also released a report - Moving Delhi Forward: The Case for Decongestion, that aims to identify ways to promote shared mobility and dis-incentivise private car ownership, increase use of public transport and open up space in the city for other public purposes and infrastructural development. Some of its key recommendations are:

- Tapping the potential of using existing motorcycles for bikesharing services for last mile connectivity.

- Streamlining the processes for converting existing private vehicles into commercial vehicles as well as for obtaining requisite licence.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia “I would like to congratulate Uber on the launch of Decongest Delhi. The Delhi government supports any initiative towards the reduction of congestion in the city.”

Some key insights of the Delhi Report:

- Out of the 97 lakh vehicles registered in New Delhi, over 93% of these vehicles are private vehicles.- In just one year, over 6.1 lakh private vehicles were added in New Delhi.

- The city has been losing an estimated Rs 60,000 crore annually due to increasing congestion and pollution with Delhi residents facing pollution exposure levels anywhere from 4 to 12 times the safe level, according to the World Health Organization.